The Noh Mask
by Arianna B
Summary: Itachi's face was like a Noh mask, Sakura decided. Emotionless, cold, distant.


She was trembling like a leaf, every muscle in her body tense and quivering. He stood over her, a black figure in front of a moonlit sky-- imposing, frightening.

He knew she was scared... the shaking was proof enough of that. But as he peered down at her, he noticed something strange. Her eyes...

He expected--because she knew she was so close to her demise--to see fear, anger, rage, even tears shimmering in her eyes. But this girl... this girl was looking up at him with a childlike wonder he found odd. Every inch of his face was being scrutinized, every curve and line traced and mentally stored. Her eyes betrayed no fear, but showed only curiosity.

"What are you looking at, girl?"

His tone was scathing, acid for the ears, but her expression didn't waver. Instead, her eyes showed even more curiosity... if that was possible.

"Answer me."

Her eyes made a slow trek up his face, eventually meeting with his scarlet eyes. She gasped as she saw the pure malice in his twin orbs. Her thin, delicate throat bobbed slightly as she swallowed. She parted her dry lips, tongue darting out to wet them, and whispered something so quietly he couldn't hear.

"Say it louder."

She blinked. "I said," she whispered hoarsely, "that your face looks like a Noh mask."

A fissure of surprise crept into his emotionless face. "You make no sense, girl."

She reached up a trembling hand and swept a lock of pink hair out of her face. "It makes sense... to me. Your face... so emotionless, so cold. It looks exactly like a Noh mask." She smiled slightly and looked away. "When I was little, I was afraid of Noh masks. I thought they were the faces of the evil spirits." The smile vanished.

"And do you still fear them?" Her eyes darted back to his face, looking at the emotionless facade.

"No. I came to realize that the masks were eerily perfect. I came to love them, and admire their flawless beauty."

He stood, not moving, and looked down at her. She looked back at him, gaze steady and clear. "It's funny-- I'm about to be killed by the thing I feared as a child. Ironic, isn't it?" She chuckled shakily.

He suddenly looked up at the trees around them, eyes darting to and fro. She looked worriedly up at him, opening her mouth to ask a question, but was silenced when he looked down at her. Sharingan whirling madly was the last thing she saw before she succumbed to darkness.

As she collapsed before him, he backed away, retreating into the darkness. She would not die tonight... what was the use in killing her, anyways? It did nothing for him. Her friends would be there any minute, and Itachi was in no mood to fight. She would live simply because of that fact. He disappeared into the shadows.

The girl was lucky, that was all.

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The girl walked slowly down the street, admiring the feel of warm sun on her skin. It was a good feeling, and besides, she was thinking-- thinking about the incident. It had been weeks ago, but the memory was as fresh as though it had happened yesterday. She remembered every detail, right up to the moment the darkness came, and then the next memory she had was waking up to Naruto's worried face.

She frowned slightly. It still confused her, how Itachi had spared her... it was a mystery she knew she would probably never solve.

As she neared her house she sped up slightly, eager to enter her inviting abode. She was rather hungry, and she was sick of ramen. Maybe she'd cook something.

As she turned the knob on her front door, she suddenly sensed it-- someone was in her house.

Someone was waiting for her.

A hand snaked down to her kunai pouch, drawing a kunai. Whoever was waiting was going to get a nasty surprise.

Slowly opening the door, she slipped inside. The chakra she sensed was upstairs, in her bedroom. _Probably a pervert_, she thought dryly, _God knows Konoha's got plenty of them._ She slowly climbed the stairs, making no sound.

Her door was slightly ajar; she could see it from the top of the stairs. She raised the kunai and slipped to the side of the doorframe, slowly counting.

_One... two... three!_

She burst into the room, twirling the kunai dangerously.

There was no one there. The chakra she had sensed moments before was gone.

Lowering the kunai, she mentally appraised the room. Nothing was missing, nothing was disturbed... everything looked normal.

Then she saw it.

Lying on the bed, nestled on her pillow, was a mask. A Noh mask.

Her eyes widened.

It was him.

Reverently, she walked to the mask and lifted it from the pillow. A note fell out of it, carefully rolled.

She unrolled it with shaky hands, staring at the neat kanji in disbelief.

_Noh masks are to be feared, kunoichi. Remember this next time we meet. _

The kunai clattered as it hit the floor. Itachi had been here, in her room, waiting for her.

Itachi. The _infamous _Itachi.

She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, trying to slow her racing heart.

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He sat at the foot of the tree, staring at the shimmering water. The girl had probably found the little present... he hoped she had enough intelligence to know the letter was a warning.

Next time they met, next time she stood in his way, he would kill her. Nothing would stop him.

A dragonfly flew lazily by him, the drone of its wings filling his ears.

Next time they met, she would die. He needed no distractions... and that pink-haired kunoichi certainly was one.

_Until next time, kunoichi. _

**A/N: **_Again, this is one of those things that just popped up. I left the ending to be ambiguous because I wanted the reader to form their own version of what happened when Sakura and Itachi meet again. That way, everyone's happy._

_Pfft... can I get some reviews, please? I love that warm feeling you get when you read a good review. And if you don't like it, then go ahead and review. I like all kinds of reviews. _

_Time for some sleep... muchos love, people._


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